After years doing without, I finally purchased a tool to measure spoke tension. I checked every wheel I owned and I was surprise at how close the tension reading were from one wheel to another. I checked everything from 20+ year old wheels with galvanized spokes to Spinergys with pbo spokes. They were all close. I expected to find the old wheels looser than they were. I don't have any of the paired, low spoke count wheels to test but I do have an old pair of Rovals.
On the other hand, I have had one Bullseye front hub blow up on me but it was a radial spoked wheel. The same happened to an old Campy high flange. I suspect the older hubs are not suitable for radial spoking. I also know that wheel manufacturers do have problems with flange failures when spoke tension is very high so perhaps even a small increase in tension is not insignificant.
Jim Cushing-murray
Del Mar CA